ROYAL BLOOD

HIDDEN LAND

"I think I know you, because you look familiar." Morganite told Grivald.

Grivald gave him a puzzled look and asked, "Why isn't the other Prince's portrait there?"

Morganite looked up and replied, "It is a long story. May I ask the two of you to follow me?"

"Where?" Lore asked.

"There is something I need to show you."

Leo cried, "What about us?"

"I will let you go." Morganite replied.

"No." Leo pulled Lore, "What will you do to my brother?"

"I mean no harm." Morganite replied calmly.

Lore looked at Leo and said, "Let me go. I will be alright."

Leo nodded and left him.

Morganite closed his eyes and whispered something underneath his breath. He opened his eyes and said, "I removed the wall. You can go now. We'll need some privacy."

Leo, Wisteria and Jackson walked out of the woods and Leo turned back to see Lore one more time. Lore nodded and watched them disappear.

"Let us go." Morganite told Lore and Grivald.

"Where are you taking us?" Lore asked him.

"Do you know the story of the Queen and Adelaide?" Morganite asked him.

"Yes." Grivald replied but Lore disagreed and said, "No."

Morganite looked at Grivald and said, "Do you mind telling him?"

"Take us where you were going to, first." Grivald replied.

"I'm afraid, it won't be fruitful if we go there without knowing the story."

Grivald looked at Lore and sat down on the ground. He recited the story Gary had told him. Everything from top to bottom. Lore listened to him carefully and attentively. As soon as Grivald finished, Morganite asked him, "Who told you this story?"

"That's not important." Grivald replied.

"The story is correct however, whoever told you this missed a few parts." Morganite replied.

"What do you mean?" Grivald looked up at Morganite and asked him.

"The Queen had two sons, like I said earlier; they were twins. One of them was Jacinth and the other one was Jadeite. They were the same age as Wyot when the Queen died. But the next day someone kidnapped Prince Jadeite. The King was very worried and he ordered his men to look for him everywhere but alas, the Prince was never found."

"And what about you? Weren't you supposed to protect them?" Lore asked him.

"I mentioned earlier that I was cast out by the King before the Queen died. When the news of Prince Jadeite reached my ears, I re-visited this land and tried to look for him myself but I did not find him."

Grivald sat there in silence wondering why Gary did not mention this to him. Had he forgotten? Or maybe it was not written in Wyot's journal, he thought. Lore looked at Grivald and told him, "Gary told you the story, didn't he?"

Grivald looked up and nodded. Lore still had no idea why Gary was after him and Grivald wasn't willing to say anything either.

Morganite said, "Shall we go?"

Lore and Grivald looked at him and nodded.

--

"Where do you think Morganite took them?" Wisteria asked the boys as they walked back towards Rufus's house.

"Wherever he did, I just hope he brings them back safe." Leo replied.

"Yeah, that guy is creepy. I mean, he has a head of a lion." Jackson said.

Wisteria smiled and said, "Do you still think that Grivald is bad? I feel that there is something inside him."

Jackson looked at Wisteria and said, "I don't trust him anymore and I still think that he's bad. I just don't care about him. Morganite can eat him, I wouldn't mind."

"That's too mean."

"Nothing compared to what he did to us." Jackson finished.

Wisteria couldn't disagree. They reached Rufus's house and Leo knocked on the door. Rufus opened it.

"Looks like you came back early. Did Scott open his mouth?" Leo asked him while sitting on the sofa.

Rufus replied, "Yes. He said that he did it only for money and he did not work for Gary. Ryan had asked him to do so. I think Ryan knew what Scott wanted."

"Ryan?! That means he works for Gary." Wisteria exclaimed.

Rufus nodded. He looked around and asked him, "Where's Lore?"

"Oh some Lion headed creature took him and Grivald away." Jackson replied.

"Lion headed? What do you mean by taking them away?" Rufus questioned further

Wisteria replied calmly, "It isn't as serious as Jackson makes it sound. We encountered a creature; an Onreahu who had the head of a line and he said that his name is Morganite and he took Lore and Grivald saying that he has something to show them and-"

Rufus opened his eyes wide and interrupted, "Morganite."

"Yes, that's right. He-"

Before Wisteria could finish her sentence, Rufus sprinted towards the woods.

--

"It isn't far." Morganite said as he led the way.

Lore and Grivald were following him behind. Lore pulled Grivald's hand and whispered, "Do you think we can trust him?"

Grivald looked at him and whispered back, "I don't know. I just feel that he knows about me. I want answers and nothing else."

"Here we are," Morganite said and stopped in front of vast land.

"What is this? There is nothing here." Grivald said as he walked forward and looked around him.

"Stand here. I will show you." Morganite replied and stepped forward.

Grivald stood beside Lore and looked at Morganite. Morganite closed his eyes and stretched both of his arms out. He muttered something and slowly raised his hands in the air. Reacting to his movements, the ground shook. Lore and Grivald were astonished and took a step back and looked below. The ground in front of them went down and was replaced by a different land. Morganite was continuously taking his arm up and down; slowly and smoothly. Suddenly, a bright white light shone from the land which blinded their eyes. Lore and Grivald shielded their eyes and watched Morganite stand there like a silhouette. The light suddenly disappeared and everything returned to normal. Morganite opened his eyes slowly and turned back at Lore and Grivald. Lore looked in front of him and saw a completely different land. There were what looked like remains of burnt down houses. Lore took a step forward and his feet hit something. He looked down and saw a skeleton. He was terrified and jumped back. He looked around and saw that it wasn't the only skeleton. There were many and the skulls were not attached to the body.

Grivald gulped and said, "Is this what I am thinking of?"

Morganite replied, "This was where the Queen and the whole community of Witches and wizards slaughtered. This was where Adelaide lived. This was the place where the horrific tragedy happened."

Lore looked at the skulls and thought about the people. He looked at the remains of burnt houses and pictured them how it would've looked like in the past.

"But how?" Grivald exclaimed.